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California to further Delay Enforcement of State Net Neutrality Law

The state of California on Friday agreed not to enforce its own state net neutrality law until a final court decision on the Trump administration's decision to overturn the 2015 Obama-era open internet rules.

The move likely means the California net neutrality law, which was set to take effect on Jan. 1, now will be on hold for a year or longer. The law has been challenged by the U.S. Justice Department and trade groups representing providers including AT&T, Verizon Communications and Comcast.

A federal judge on Friday approved an agreement between California, the Justice Department and the trade groups to delay implementation and the legal challenges to the state law.

In December, the FCC said in repealing the Obama-era rules that it was pre-empting states from setting their own rules governing internet access - an issue the federal appeals court is expected to address.

The FCC order reversed rules barring internet service providers from blocking or throttling traffic or offering paid fast lanes, also known as paid prioritization. A group of 22 states and the District of Columbia have sued to overturn the repeal.

The Trump administration rules were a win for internet providers but opposed by companies such as Facebook, Amazon.com and Alphabet.